Black is just a Color

"Hmph. Strange... That Guy, he seemed to have ignored me."

That Guy...

He is murmuring about Aziel who strode away in possession of Deman's body.

Xiev the Grim Reaper who is left hanging for an answer is quite pissed off, feeling disrespected by Aziel. Their first meeting did not go well despite his deep expectations. He flew around the church for a fair amount of time before deciding to look around town.

As a Grim Reaper, Xiev was familiar with the ways mortals waste their breath to worship Gods who didn't give a fuck about them. He knew that it was them—the Grim Reapers who made the world function. Without them, the order of things would crumble.

'If only they have known.'

He murmured to himself as people clothed with white robes walked past him with words of appreciation for the blessing they receive. They are the apostles of the church who rarely participate in ceremonies.

Even I would wonder if I were Xiev, if I saw them coming out from that dark chamber just at the side of the church. Xiev ignored them and continue to float away.

When Xiev continued to walk past the church and into the town square, he noticed a plump kid blabbering at an elderly woman sitting on a wooden stool while selling fruits and bread.

"Nanny! Your ears, give me."

His tiny voice high pitched as he is slowly trying to reach the old woman's ears but desparingly finds that he could not, due to his lacking height.

"Alright, alright... speak. Nanny is here."

The elderly softly replies while the plump kid only managed to hold the elderly's waist and his voice that then quiver—sounds worried over something...

"There's a dead body in the forest!"

With eyes widening and brows knitting to a frown, the elderly brushed him off with a stern,

"And?"

Turns out that she is now shivering from fear. But the Elderly whom the plump kid called nanny just ignored him as the kid continued to speak.

"Shouldn't we call the patrol or those big guys wearing metallic clothes?"

But she only receives scolding instead.

"That's called an armor... I've told it to you a couple of times! You should have known it already."

The plump kid's face turned crestfallen, being scolded while in the middle of speaking of what he deemed an important matter...

"Nanny! This is not the time for me to be scolded! Quick! We have to tell them!"

Brows knitting closely, the elderly respond to him quite angrily,

"And be accused of killing him? No way!"

Yet the plump kid is persistent.

"B-But..."

Then finally, the Elder had enough. She just said,

"Don't you dare go there! Or I will slap your ass with my cane!"

Their conversation easily stopped and the plump kid quietly stood beside the elder.

Xiev felt curious about the dead body that the boy mentioned. He hovered above the now wailing kid as he peered into his memory without anyone noticing.

What he saw had greatly shocked him.

"Preposterous! This is..."

In his mind, he witnessed a corpse lying near an oak tree. The corpse had several wounds from its body, presumably from multiple stabs and cuts. Seems like the corpse died from blood loss. That was the dead body that the plump kid was talking about. He found it while playing hide and seek with the other kids around his age.

Those did not shock him. His reason for being shock is that...

"The corpse... Where's the soul?"

'It is undoubtfully dead a long time ago... How could this be?'

Xiev is seeing the scenes with his eyes closed when the plump kid suddenly broke out from his spell.

'Seems like, this island truly restricts beings like us... No wonder I could not sense where that Angel went to.'

Turns out, after Aziel left the church Xiev should have easily tracked him. But since this is Arcadia—one of the forsaken lands that Xiev's powers were also restricted. He is so lax that he let Aziel get away, thinking that he could easily find him.

'Now back to that corpse... I'll have to go there to make sure.'

And so, Xiev's next destination is the forest.

***

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Meanwhile, Aziel is presently panting from the weight of Deman's body.

"Stupid Mortal! Who told him to become this fat! This is—"

His panting grew louder as his breathing became heavier.

Aziel is following the trail that leads to the house of Larra, as far as he could remember it is located near the shore. Yet...

He finds himself lost in the thick forest!

"Curse this mortal's brain, I could not remember all the details!"

Aziel is complaining in his heart, thinking that the only downside of turning himself into a demon and becoming a mortal is losing his sacred power. Now he kind of regrets not being as omnipotent as before.

Even his capacity to think is now limited.

But the madly fallen angel actually smirks in the face of danger and uncertainty...

"I guess 'weak' is a matter of perspective, I kinda enjoy being where I am."

He thought to himself as the image of Larra happily singing came into his mind. Now, all other memories of Deman with Larra are slowly integrating to Aziel. Deman's whole life, how he grew up, what is his tastes or preference... everything is smoothly becoming his.

Relishing from these stolen memories, Aziel sees that the moonlit is blocked by the tall trees that loomed above his head. While struggling to walk further, he haphazardly mentioned as if talking to someone:

"The dark woods stand as noble black knights, fresh from the fields of legend."

It is his own way to combat the weariness he is feeling.

Whilst talking about some lyrical songs he and his legionnaires made when he is still in heaven. Looking back, Aziel is always drawn to the mortal realm. Always looking out from above to see what humans were up to. Judging them with eyes so cruel, it is only now that he appreciated the things humans or mortals experience.

Back then, he thought of them as fools.

Now, with this view in his sight, it is truly God's grace that mortals were able to have them. Well, I guess, even if Aziel turns into a demon... nothing really changed.

His appearance and source of power may have changed, but he is still a devoted servant to the Heavenly God. He still held his hope, firmly believing in faith.

Ahh I'd say, black is just a color.

Also, as Aziel had these sentiments, he had forgotten that this place is actually...

The Dark Woods.